I'd love to have a more Aspie-friendly job. I know it's not an Aspie thing to envy those who get to do something they love for a living, but I definitely feel that envy when I hear about certain other jobs. I think back on the alternate career paths I wanted to explore, but decided against them because I thought I could/should be like other people, and I kick myself a bit.
I recently remembered (I had repressed this one, apparently) how when it was time for me to go to secondary school (I took a couple of years off after high school), the prevailing wisdom was not to pursue a career in computers, because the dot-com bubble-burst of the early 2000s had led to a glut of unemployed computer engineers. I even ran into a childhood friend who was doing his Master's because he couldn't get a job after getting his undergrad degree. That seems freaking insane now.
I'm sure there's an element of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, but I read stuff about all the Aspies working in Silicon Valley, and I think of how much I've enjoyed using computers (since I was three years old) and I feel like I missed the boat.
Now I know not to try to pick a career so I can succeed in the neurotypical world. Succeeding as an Aspie is much more important to me now.
I recently remembered (I had repressed this one, apparently) how when it was time for me to go to secondary school (I took a couple of years off after high school), the prevailing wisdom was not to pursue a career in computers, because the dot-com bubble-burst of the early 2000s had led to a glut of unemployed computer engineers. I even ran into a childhood friend who was doing his Master's because he couldn't get a job after getting his undergrad degree. That seems freaking insane now.
I'm sure there's an element of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, but I read stuff about all the Aspies working in Silicon Valley, and I think of how much I've enjoyed using computers (since I was three years old) and I feel like I missed the boat.
Now I know not to try to pick a career so I can succeed in the neurotypical world. Succeeding as an Aspie is much more important to me now.